Manila, Sept. 5 -- The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that the donation of a subdivision land to a local government unit (LGU) must be in writing for ownership to be transferred.

In a 20-page decision made public Friday, the SC Second Division ruled that the Quezon City (QC) LGU failed to prove that the open spaces and road lots in Capital Park Homes Subdivision (CPHS) were been donated to the city for public use.

The SC upheld the Court of Appeals (CA) ruling in a favor of a resident, emphasizing that the QC LGU must prove a valid transfer of property in its favor.

As QC did not provide a deed of donation or any proof of acceptance as required under the Civil Code, the SC said the LGU "cannot rely solely on ordinances or laws to claim ...